How to Apostille a Document in Florida: Steps, Timing, and Rejections

To apostille a document in Florida, you send the original notarized document or certified copy, a completed request form, a $10 fee per document ($20 if certified by a Clerk of the Court), and return shipping to the Division of Corporations in Tallahassee. That office, part of the Florida Department of State, is the only authority in the state that issues apostilles.¹ You can submit by mail or walk the request in; there is no online option.

An apostille is a certificate that verifies your document’s signature, the signer’s authority, and any official seal so the document will be accepted in another country that belongs to the Hague Convention. If the destination country is not a member, you need a longer authentication and legalization process instead, covered near the end of this article.

Can Florida Apostille Your Document

Florida can only apostille documents that originate in Florida or carry the signature of a Florida notary public or a Florida elected or appointed official.² That covers vital records like birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage licenses issued by the Florida Department of Health or a Clerk of Court; court documents such as divorce decrees and judgments; diplomas and transcripts from Florida schools; powers of attorney, affidavits, and sworn statements notarized by a Florida notary; and corporate filings certified by the Division of Corporations.

Two categories fall outside Florida’s authority, and both are common sources of wasted time. Federal documents such as FBI background checks, immigration paperwork, federal court orders, patent filings, and USDA certifications must go to the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications, not to Tallahassee.³ And documents notarized in another state must go through that state’s Secretary of State. Florida will reject anything that lacks a Florida signature or seal.

Preparing the Document

Everything you submit must be an original. Photocopies are not accepted.¹

Notarized Documents

Private documents like powers of attorney, affidavits, and consent forms need to be notarized by a Florida notary before the apostille step. The notary must confirm your identity, either from personal knowledge or from an acceptable ID such as a Florida driver’s license, U.S. passport, or military ID. Their rubber stamp seal must show their name, commission expiration date, commission number, and the phrase “Notary Public-State of Florida.”⁴ Missing pieces on the notarial certificate are one of the top reasons documents come back rejected.

Vital Records

Birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage licenses require a two-step process. First, get a certified copy from the Florida Department of Health’s Bureau of Vital Statistics or the Clerk of Court in the county where the event was recorded. Then send that certified copy to the Division of Corporations for the apostille.⁵ The Department of Health also offers an expedited option through its contracted vendor, VitalChek, which obtains the record, forwards it for the apostille, and ships the finished document back for an extra $7 processing fee plus agency fees and shipping.

Before you order a vital record for use abroad, contact the destination country’s embassy or consulate. Some countries require recently issued certificates and will refuse older ones even when the apostille itself is fresh.

Court and Corporate Documents

Documents certified by a Clerk of the Circuit Court, such as divorce decrees, are eligible but cost $20 each because the Department of State must also verify the county official’s authority through a Certificate of Incumbency. Corporate documents like articles of incorporation need to be certified copies obtained from the Division of Corporations before they can be apostilled.

What to Include in Your Submission

Four items make up a complete package:

The completed Apostille and Notarial Certificate Request Form, which asks for the destination country, your full name and contact information, and the type of document. List the country carefully; the country you name determines whether the office issues an apostille or an authentication certificate.⁶
Your original document or original certified copy. No photocopies.
Payment by check or money order made out to the Florida Department of State, drawn in U.S. currency on a U.S. bank. Cash and credit cards are not accepted for direct submissions. The apostille fee is $10 per document, or $20 for documents certified by a Clerk of the Court.⁷
Return shipping: a self-addressed stamped envelope, or a pre-paid air bill from FedEx, UPS, or a similar carrier with your name and address as both sender and recipient.

Where to Send It

For mailed submissions:

Division of Corporations
ATTN: Apostille Section
P.O. Box 6800
Tallahassee, FL 32314-6800⁶

For walk-in or courier delivery:

Division of Corporations
ATTN: Apostille Section
2415 N. Monroe Street, Suite 810
Tallahassee, FL 32303

How Long It Takes

Walk-in requests are the fastest route. The Division of Corporations handles most walk-in requests while you wait.⁸

Mailed requests are processed in the order received. The Division posts the date of the oldest unprocessed request on its Document Processing Dates page, which is the reliable way to gauge the current wait.⁹ As of early April 2026, that page showed the office working on requests received about 11 days earlier. Add mailing time in each direction. During peak periods the backlog can stretch to several weeks, so check that page before mailing if a deadline is close. The finished apostille comes back as a certificate securely attached to your original document.

If Your Destination Country Is Not in the Hague Convention

An apostille only works in Hague Convention countries. For documents headed to a non-member country, such as Canada, China, or several nations in the Middle East and parts of Africa, you need authentication and legalization instead. The chain runs like this:

Have the document authenticated by the Florida Secretary of State. The office and process are the same, but you request an authentication certificate rather than an apostille.
Send the authenticated document to the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications in Sterling, Virginia for federal-level authentication.³
Take the document to the destination country’s embassy or consulate for final legalization.

Each step adds time and fees, and the steps must happen in order. Some embassies require in-person appointments, so contact the destination country’s embassy early.

Common Reasons Requests Get Rejected

The Division of Corporations does not correct problems for you. If something is wrong, the package comes back and you start over. The recurring pitfalls:

Sending a photocopy instead of the original notarized document or certified copy.
Incomplete notarization, such as a missing seal, missing commission expiration date, or an incomplete notarial statement. A defective notarization has to be redone from scratch, not patched.
Wrong jurisdiction. A document notarized outside Florida cannot be apostilled here.
Sending federal documents to Florida. FBI background checks and immigration paperwork are the classic examples; those go to the U.S. Department of State.
Missing or wrong payment. Only checks and money orders are accepted, and the amount must match.
No return shipping included. Without a self-addressed stamped envelope or pre-paid air bill, the office has no way to send anything back.
Wrong destination country listed on the form, which produces the wrong type of certification.

If a request comes back, fix the specific problem, include a new payment, and resubmit.

1
Florida Department of State. Authentications – Apostilles and Notarial Certifications
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Florida Department of State – Division of Corporations. Notary Commissions and Apostille Certification Procedures
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U.S. Department of State. Office of Authentications
4
Florida Senate. Florida Code 117.05 – Use of Notary Commission
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Florida Department of Health. Apostille Certificates
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Florida Department of State. Apostille or Notarial Certification Request Form
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The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes Title IV Chapter 15 – Secretary of State
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Florida Department of State. Frequently Asked Questions – Division of Corporations – Section: Apostille and Notarial Requests
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Florida Department of State Division of Corporations. Document Processing Dates